


Lancito

by kaidenkaitoking



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Coran - Freeform, Healing pods, Hurt, JuLance Challenge 2018, M/M, Pidge - Freeform, Shiro - Freeform, Stabbing, Swords, hunk - Freeform, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 08:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15457482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaidenkaitoking/pseuds/kaidenkaitoking
Summary: Lance's birthday and there are a few bumps in the road to a happy celebration.





	Lancito

**Author's Note:**

> Lance's birthday and there are a few bumps in the road to a happy celebration.

The Alteans had come up with a way to track time known from earth, and so they knew the paladins birthdays were. They had been launched into space just after Lance’s but it did get marked on the “calendar.” All of the paladins aside from him had had their birthdays celebrated on the castleship.

Now, when they were able to tell what day it was, the paladins set down a rule. Plan at least two days in advance for birthdays. Usually, it was two. However, the day was July twenty seventh, the day right before Lance’s birthday, and no one was doing anything.

There was no alert on the calendar about birthdays, but everyone just sort of remembered, so there didn’t need to be an alert. 

Lance was beginning to consider the possibilities that they’d forgotten, his crush, two best friends, space uncle, space dad, and the girl who’d begun spending more time with him. 

So we’ll start there. The morning of July twenty-sixth, Lance was happy to get up and start planning for his own celebration. However, he wasn’t the kind of person to spring that on someone, so he waited for someone to bring it to his attention. They’d gotten a distress signal and needed to plan their attack, so Lance thought that he could give them some slack for that. Their minds were busy, no point in getting upset, right? 

During planning, Shiro had asked for all hands on deck for the mission. His fellow paladins and even the Princess and Coran were pitching in ideas left and right. He thought on his idea though. Shiro then asked for his opinion.

He prepared to be shut down, but gave his answer anyway. “Since we’re dealing with a couple of Galra fleets, here and here,” he pointed on their hologram map, “I feel like Hunk and I should come in from one side, Pidge come in from the opposite side, and you and Keith help the civilians and keep off the senteries.”

Hunk, one of his two best friends, looked amazed at his plan, but Pidge, the other, and the princess were not having it. “Lance, that would leave Pidge, Shiro, and Keith open. That’s a horrible plan.” Lance shrunk back a bit, and felt worse as Pidge chipped in. “It’s not like he has a smart ideas anyway. He’s just the goofball; he doesn’t have half a brain.” 

“Pidge!” Hunk defended.

“What? You all know I’m right,” she retorted.

“Enough!” Shiro demanded, and everyone shut up. He saw the hurt look across Lance’s face. “I can agree that it isn’t the most thought out plan. Lance, maybe to avoid a fight, you should leave the planning to us. Can you go sit at your station?”

Lance painted a fake smile on his face and bowed. “Of course, Shiro. Sorry to cause trouble, guys,” he laughed, and sat down, starting to mess about with his droid. 

\--

The mission was successful, but only because Keith had to fix Lance’s rather large mistake. He’d let a fighter hit the civilian center on the surface of the planet. This earned him scowls from Pidge and Allura on the way back to the castle. They had that look of I told you so. 

Lance didn’t bother trying to talk to the rest of the team after the mission, disappearing into his room. He removed his armor and then disappeared with his bayard into the training room. 

No one, not once, tried to find him to discuss his birthday. Lance didn’t sleep that night, and wasn’t heard from all the next day. Again, no one bothered to try to find him to talk about the day after.

So, on July twenty-seventh, Lance McClain passed out for the first time, and got injured by the training robot. 

He landed on the ground, his eyes already fluttering, and the training robot came and dug it’s sword into Lance’s shoulder, pulling a loud scream from his throat.

The walls of the castle were thick, but nowhere near thick enough to muffle that cry. Shiro heard it first, in the kitchen with Hunk. “Lance…” he muttered, and took off running for the training room, Hunk in tow.

They walked in on the training robot repeatedly slicing at Lance’s passed out body, all over his legs and arms. Hunk was horrified as Shiro ran forward yelling, “End training sequence!” The robot collapsed, and Shiro scooped up Lance’s body, making a break for the infirmary. “Come on, Lance. You’ve beat death before. Hang in there.”

\--

Lance’s eyes opened to his fellow paladins, the princess, and Coran surrounding his healing pod. The thing opened and he fell forward into Shiro’s arms. He wasn’t in anymore pain, but his heart hurt as he caught up to what happened. He looked over at their “calendar and scoffed. 

It was his birthday. 

“You know,” he started, “I would have expected at least one of you to remember what day it is…” 

All of the heads in the room aside from his own whipped around to the calendar. 

July twenty-eighth, Lance McClain’s birthday.

Hunk’s heart fell, Pidge’s stomach jumped up into her throat, Keith looked shocked, Shiro looked concerned, the princess’ angry face softened, and Coran’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“Is…” Hunk hesitate to speak. “Is that why we haven’t heard from you in two days? Is that why you messed up during our mission? Is that why you’ve hidden out in the training room? Is it because..we forgot about you?” His eyes began brimming with tears, and his voice caught as he spoke.

Hunk was right. Lance spoke, pulling away from a shocked Shiro and sitting down. “Ya know, with all of your birthdays, we plan two days in advance. Day one, you brushed me off and I screwed up in a mission. Day two, no one even bothered to come find me to discuss. And it’s all the time! You guys are always brushing me off… I can be useful… but none of you can even give me the chance to prove myself! You just throw me to the curb…” he rambled, starting to cry. 

Hunk knelt down in front of him and touched his shoulder. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are so sorry. We never meant to make you feel that way. We are so sorry we forgot your birthday. Now it’s time to make it right. There’s still a lot of time left today. Think we can still celebrate, Shiro?” The larger man smiled down at him and nodded. 

And so they did. At the end of the night, when all was quiet, there was a knock on Keith’s room door. He got up and opened it, and there stood Lance. “Can I sleep in here tonight?” he asked, his voice shaking and nervous. Keith smirked, pulling Lance close and attaching their lips. 

When he let go, Lance looked stunned, but smiled.

And the two boys crawled into Keith’s bed, snuggled close together. Keith dropped a kiss on Lance’s forehead, and mumbled, just ever so softly, “Happy birthday, Lance.”


End file.
